India, April 2 -- It wasn't an easy wicket to bat on, said Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel, citing the challenging pitch as the primary reason for his team's three-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in their IPL opener.

Punjab Kings chased a 163-run target with five balls to spare on Tuesday.

"As a team you want them to fight. I am happy that we took the game to the last over," Patel said in the post-match press conference.

"It wasn't the easiest wicket to bat on. It's been raining here for the last three-four days and the groundsmen did a really good job to prepare the wicket.

Once the ball was old, it was reversing a bit, it was also holding up a bit. After power play, batting was not easy," he explained.

However, Patel also ...